Puppy or no puppy??

[trixie108]

Here's a bit of background information:

I used to have 2 small dogs and 3 cats. My fiance and I recently broke up (that's a whole other thread!) and he took the dogs and I kept the cats. Well of course I miss my puppies terribly. I am considering getting a teacup chihuahua, simply because they can be puppy pad trained for when I can't be home to take them out. Now the debate:

Should I get a dog?

1) I really miss having a dog to greet me at the door when I come home
2) I love going to the dog park and running around with the dog (can't really do that with the cats)
3) I miss the cuddles and puppy kisses!!

Should I not get a dog?

1) I work from 8am to 4 pm. The dog would have to be alone all day.
2) I don't really have a #2!! I just feel sooo bad leaving the dog all alone all day during the week. I know there are the cats to play with, but I would still feel terrible.

Opinions? Thoughts? Please help! I'm so torn!!

 

[kathryn]

1) I work from 8am to 4 pm. The dog would have to be alone all day.
2) I don't really have a #2!! I just feel sooo bad leaving the dog all alone all day during the week. I know there are the cats to play with, but I would still feel terrible.

I would say that unless you find an alternative to #1, no.
If you could find someone to walk the dog at least once during that period, maybe, but that still is a lot of 'no human contact' time for a chihuahua.

I don't know about teacup chihuahuas, but I assume they have a chihuahua personality which, from what I've observed and learned from living with a roommate who has a chihuahua, are very needy and want to be with people all the time.

It sounds more like you would be getting the dog for your own reasons and not really thinking as much of his/her needs.

 

[Gayle]

Hi Nicole - Personally, I could not live without a dog. I would be miserable.

While the 8am-4pm alone time is a lot, there are lots of people who do it. I think it really depends on the dog...some dogs are more independent and can handle that time alone better than others. This might plead a good case for an older dog whose personality is better known. Others would even argue that getting two dogs would provide that "pack need" that would make the alone time a non-issue...except for peeing.

I agree that a dog walker would be a good idea, as is doggy daycare. Even if you can only do it one or two days per week.

ETA: I think as long as your providing the dog with what it needs overall for emotional/mental stability (exercise, mental stimulation, attention, etc) then this is really doable.

 

[LauraMax]

I say go for it. I work a lot of hours--more than 8 to 4--but we've managed & the dogs stay pretty healthy & active (disclaimer: I do get to go home for my lunch hour).

I know a lot of folks who have a dogwalker come in the middle of the day. When I used to work too far to go home for lunch, I called my vet's office--a few blocks from my house--& one of the VAs agreed to take care of the dogs on HER lunch hour. And she charged much less than most dogwalkers.

 

[dormars1979]

My husband and I have a very active dog and we both work longer than 9-5. We initially started out w/a dog walker coming during the day for an hour walk, but we just found a doggy day care place on my way to work that costs exactly the same price. Now she gets to play all day and she comes home happy and tired.

We couldn't live w/out a dog either

 

[CLD]

I say go for it!! I love my dogs! I'm actually debating on getting a third one right now. The only time I would be concerned about leaving it alone from 8 to 4 is in the earlier puppy months. Puppies simply cannot hold it that long. Mine is now 10 months old and perfectly able to control her bladder, but she was going in her kennel all the time in the beginning. Good luck to you!!

 

[SirenSongWoman]

A few points, pro and con:

-Smaller dogs CAN be litter box trained fairly easily. A great alternative to kenneling a dog and expecting it to hold it's water for an entire day. I know I wouldn't hold MY water all day!
-The shelters are FULL of loving critters to fall madly in love with. These guys desperately need homes, especially now, when people are having to give up their beloved pets due to job losses, etc.
-Even with job losses, MOST people still work 8 hours and lots of households have no human beings around for at least that long. Is it ideal for the animal to have no human contact (especially dogs, which are pack animals) for such long stretches? Probably not. But massive numbers of animals being euthanized because people are concerned about leaving an animal alone for 8 hours isn't ideal, either - and most of them aren't getting much human contact now, stuck in their cages, listening to rooms full of agitated barking dogs all day and night.
-The cats will be company enough, if that's a concern.
-Just make sure you really want the love of a dog (sounds like you do) and are willing to pick a pooch you'll be able to care for as long as 25 years. Don't even think about it if there's any chance you could lose your job in the foreseeable future.

Sounds good? Then go for it. I'm sure a shelter dog would find sharing a house with you a much happier existence than being stuck in a shelter cage.

 

[janiejoey]

My daughter (Monique) has a chihuahua named Taco. She works long hours during the day. He (Taco) is very needy, but plays with his rat during the day. When Taco plays a little to hard, the rat goes back to her cage for a little while until she wants to play again. She usually comes out about 3 times a day or so, from what I understand. I do have to tell ya, though, Taco is a very needy little dog and that might be because he is so much alone at times. I don't really know.

My advice is since you have cats, they might be wonderful champions for your dog during the day (if they don't stay to themselves). There are so many homeless animals out there. If you were to take one in, I say go for it. Try hard also to get a person during the day to walk the animal, that would work beautifully, but if you can't perhaps the kitties will be enough. Another idea, is to get two dogs. Why not? They both can entertain each other. What's one more?

Janie

 

[HaveFun]

We have a Chihuahua (Blue) and he is my sweetie We got him when he was 9 weeks old (now 5 yrs). I brought him to work with me every day and took him everywhere until he was a year old. It was like I had a newborn all over again. My concern was how delicate he was, his little legs were like toothpicks and I had to make sure he did not try to jump down off anything (couch, chair, bed) because he could easily have broken a leg. Our oldest DD was 2 yrs old then and she learned how to delicately handle the new baby. Blue is very mellow for a Chihuahua and gets along great with our Chocolate Lab, kitty and DDs (7 & 3). He is especially close to me because we bonded so well when he was a puppy and I worked on socializing him. He now stays at home when I work although I see him at lunchtime. I think he enjoys the break during the day from the chaos of the family when we are home In your case I would suggest an older shelter baby, but that is just my opinion. As all babies, that first year is so important for bonding and trust and it truly shapes their personalities. So such a long post, but I love talking about my babies

 

[andtckrtoo]

Why not get two dogs - then they will have each other for company. If you get puppies remember that puppies cannot be alone that long without going out. You'd be better off getting an older dog or dogs. Puppies ARE like newborns. They require a lot of care. I ran home every day over lunch for a year until my boy grew up enough to handle more time alone. He also comes in to the office with me occasionally (he's very welcome here, but I don't want to over extend that welcome).